Effect of Positive Psychotherapy on the Symptoms of Mental Disorders and Well-being in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Multiple sclerosis is one of the most important and most common diseases of the central nervous system caused  by inflammation and degeneration of the myelin neural sheath and, as a result, the electrical conductivity of the impulses of the central nervous system. Depending on the location of the conflict, different clinical symptoms of the nervous system are created in the patients. In addition to physical health, multiple sclerosis affects the health and psychological well-being of individuals. Given that psychological well-being of patients with multiple sclerosis is important and due to the challenges facing these patients, they must be supported psychologically and socially. Positive psychology emphasizes the enhancement of human abilities and virtues and allows individuals and communities to succeed. The present study aimed studying the effect of Positive Psychotherapy on symptoms of mental disorders and well-being in multiple sclerosis patients in Hamedan-Iran.

This study employed a two group pretest-post quasi-experimental design. The population was all the MS patients of Sina hospital (Farshchian) of Hamedan in 2016.  The participants were 40 MS patients chosen randomly after taking SCL-25-R test designed by Dragotis et al, (1973). The reliability coefficients of this scale were calculated using Cronbach's, Spearman-Brown's and Gutmann's alpha methods. These coefficients were 0.92, 0.88, and 0.87 respectively, which indicates a relatively good test reliability. The reliability of the questionnaire was based on the internal consistency and through the Cronbach's alpha index, the total test was 0.90, as well as each of its three sub-scales for emotional well-being (0.90), social well-being (0.75), and psychological well-being (0.87). The participants were assigned to two experimental and one control groups randomly (20, experimental group and 20 control group). First experimental group received Positive Psychotherapy in 8 sessions but control group did not receive any intervention. Data was analyzed through one-way ANOVA.

The results showed a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups (P <0.05). Therefore, 33 percent of the changes in well-being and 46 percent of the changes mental disorder can be explained through an independent variable (positive learning). Also, the results at the follow up stage showed that the experimental group showed significant difference in the symptoms of psychological and welfare disorders through positive training with the control group at the level of 0.05 (P <0.05). And 0.1% of welfare changes and 0.25% of changes in mental health can be explained by independent variable (positive learning).

The findings of this study show that positive psychotherapy as an effective short-term treatment not only reduces the symptoms of psychological disorders but also strengthens psychological well-being. The findings of this study also support the belief that positive-thinking psychotherapy can effectively enhance the well-being by enhancing the sense of pleasure, empowerment, and increasing meaning.